May 8, 2017 Monday Night RAW
The May 8, 2017 Edition of RAW is a Professional wrestling television show of the WWE's RAW brand, which took place on May 8, 2017 at The O2 Arena in London, England. Episode summary Kurt Angle named Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose the acting General Manager of Raw Oh, it’s true: Raw General Manager Kurt Angle was apparently so impressed with Dean Ambrose’s matchmaking suggestions last week that he named the Intercontinental Champion as his acting replacement during the opening minutes of Raw’s international stopover in London. Ambrose had to contend with opposition almost immediately when his No. 1 contender, The Miz, arrived and revealed that Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon had named him Co-Acting General Manager in order to mitigate Ambrose's unpredictability, but The Lunatic Fringe quickly proved his management skills were still beyond reproach. When a returning Kalisto confronted a sling-bound Braun Strowman, The Monster Among Men claimed he could defeat The King of Flight with one good arm if he so desired, so Ambrose gave Strowman the opportunity to prove it in a match later that night. On top of that, The Lunatic Fringe even managed to get one up on his trash-talking No. 1 contender by declaring Miz would face Finn Bálor in the night's first match. Finn Bálor vs The Miz Last week, The Miz made a dent in history (albeit with some help) when he handed Finn Bálor his first pinfall defeat in WWE during an epic Triple Threat Match to determine the No. 1 Contender to the Intercontinental Championship. He did not repeat the accomplishment in their one-on-one clash. Miz almost finagled a disqualification win for himself when he threw Bálor into the referee, after which The A-Lister used his Co-Acting General Manager powers to disqualify his opponent. But Dean Ambrosequickly overruled the decision, had the match restarted and banned Maryse from ringside. With Miz’s security blanket gone, Bálor made quick work of him, pouncing with a Sling Blade and sealing the deal with a Coup de Grâce. Mickie James vs Alexa Bliss The only woman Alexa Bliss didn’t trash talk during her “coronation” last week was Nia Jax. This week, the WWE Universe found out why. The powerful Jax accompanied Little Miss Bliss to the ring for her non-title match against her former ally Mickie James, claiming she would be Bliss’ “best friend” provided the champion granted her a title match as soon as she had put Bayley in the rearview. The Huggable One herself wasn’t far from the action either, serving as Mickie’s muscle in a confrontation that quickly tilted James’ way. (The audience’s chants of Toni Basil’s “Mickey” didn’t hurt as a motivator). In fact, Mickie gained such an advantage that Nia attempted to (literally) trip her up on the top turnbuckle, and while Bayley was quick to neutralize the interference, Alexa doomed Mickie with a forearm to the face. When The Huggable One chased Bliss up the ramp following the match, Jax lingered behind, pulverizing James in a harrowing bit of post-match devastation. Sasha Banks vs Alicia Fox If not for a ferocious fistfight between Sasha Banks and Alicia Fox last week, Bayley might have been able to hand Alexa Bliss a non-title loss in an Eight-Woman Tag Team bout. Alas, Bliss prevailed in that match, and The Boss and Miss Fox’s grudge match on Raw picked up right where last week’s fight left off, with both Superstars throwing hands at each other before things settled down into a rhythm. To her credit, Fox dictated the pace of the match, holding the three-time Raw Women’s Champion at bay for minutes on end, at least until Banks pounced off the top turnbuckle with a pair of knees to the face and hooked the leg for a win. Though, as an eagle-eyed Corey Graves pointed, depending on the vantage point, Alicia may have gotten a shoulder up outside the ref’s field of vision. Round Three, perhaps? Results * Singles Match: Finn Bálor defeated The Miz (w/ Maryse) * Singles Match: Alexa Bliss (w/ Nia Jax) defeated Mickie James (w/ Bayley) * Singles Match: Sasha Banks defeated Alicia Fox Other on-screen talent * Ring announcer: JoJo * Interviewer: Charly Caruso Media Category:RAW episodes Category:2017 television episodes Category:Maryse Category:Episodes featuring Mickie James Category:Alexa Bliss Category:Bayley Category:Nia Jax Category:Episodes featuring Sasha Banks Category:Alicia Fox Category:Episodes featuring JoJo Category:Episodes featuring Charly Caruso Category:WWE television episodes